Canter Leads . . . ???

[maria9657]

Last night at my lesson the horse I ride kept taking off on the wrong canter lead (or so I was told). I think that I am pretty clear with my aids, and I always make sure that it is steady trot before attempting the canter.

Is a way to tell if the horse is on the correct lead or not?

I am sure a person with a lot of experience would be able to tell just by feeling it, but I am not at that stage yet.

[clurly_wurly]

On some horses it is easier to feel than it is with others if they are on the correct lead leg, as they can often feel unbalanced, it is hard to describe but canter feels more bumpy than normal when the horse is on the wrong lead leg. Sometimes when I feel as if I am on the wrong leg, I take a quick glance down at the inside leg to check.

There is a pony at my yard who always leads with her left leg on both reins and it can take the rider a few tries to get her onto the correct leg, so some horses just do this no matter how clear your aids are.

[Mehitabel]

do you know what it means to be on the correct lead? if you do, skip this next bit!

when a horse canters, it's a three-time beat. it first moves the outside hind leg, then the diagonal pair of inside hindleg and outside foreleg, then the inside foreleg. so when you watch a horse cantering in the school on the correct lead, it looks like the inside foreleg is reaching further forward.

from on board, you're right, you will eventually be able to tell by feel - but this does take time. in the mean time, you can look down (using your eyes, not dropping your chin - keep the head up so you don't lose your balance and tip forward) and you will see that the inside shoulder looks like it's coming further forward than the outside one.

if you have group lessons, or can watch others riding, you can see it for yourself, when you know what you're looking for.

has your instructor explained how to ask for the correct lead?

[maria9657]

Thanks everyone,

I know what it means to be on the correct lead and I can tell if another horse is or is not on the correct lead, and I am clear on how to ask correctly. I am just having trouble telling whether or not the horse I am riding is on the correct lead. The horse is very bouncy no matter what, so it is very difficult to tell that way. Next time I ride I will try to take a look down to see if I can tell that way.

Thanks again.

[Pink's lady]

I suspect that the horse picking up of the wrong lead isn't your fault.

Almost all horse favor one leg or the other, althoug a well-schooled horse will be roughly even.

With some horses (esp bored/stiff riding school ponies), unless you basically 'force' them onto the other leg, they will ALWAYS canter on one particular leg. I've have seen many a pony cantering round a 20m cirlce, quite happily, on the wrong leg!

On a horse like that, the only way to try and prevent this is to stop the canter asap and change the leg until the horse gets the message, or 'force' them onto a leg by overbalancing them as you as, i.e turning their head to the outside or asking as they go over a pole.

Obviously, lots of correct schooling would be better, but not always possible if it's not your horse.

[Shizzity]

To help the horse get the correct lead, make sure you ask for the canter in the corner of the arena. Or, if you aren't in a corner when you need to ask, start making a 20meter circle and then ask.

[Kalypso]

I STILL can't always tell if a horse is on the right lead by feel. If i know the horse well, and the way it's canter feels, then yeah i can tell. but if i just hop on any old horse, I've gotta look down still. And I'm bad...I LOOK down...not just with my eyes. I still have to look to make sure i'm on the correct diagonal too...although same as before...if i know the horse well, i can usually do it by feel! :rolleyes:


good luck getting the horse to do it for you!! :D


edited because i re-read this thread and realized i'd given you info you already knew! ;)

[Dummer&Drummer]

you can also keep you outside rein a little tighter so the horses head is slightly turning outwards when asking for canter, this will help him take off on the right leg, and again on a corner makes it a little easier, try adjusting your reins slightly when asking to see if this helps

[imabrit_us]

I've found that different horses respond to different aids for canter and strike-off.

So, my wee boy Tommy (15.2hh cob) goes into canter w/ a mere squeeze, moving either leg behind the girth makes no difference, he only strikes off on the correct leg on the right rein. You can encourage him to step under w/ the correct leg on the left rein w/ a tap of a schooling whip . . . but he finds the whole thing very difficult.

Otis (16.2hh TB), on the other hand, responds to a slight backward brush of the outside leg and almost always strikes off on the correct lead. On the odd occasion he hasn't, it's because I hadn't asked for the bend correctly, so until I'm better at asking for and he's better at giving bend, I almost always ask for canter on either a circle or a corner.

Nimbus (17hh IDx) never gets it wrong. Never. She's a wiley old thing. Former Master of Hounds horse. She just takes the michael something chronic and doesn't give you canter at all if you don't ask correctly the first time.

Thinking about, something else that helped Tommy was making the circle we were on quite small and reeeeeeeeeeally collecting the trot so that we were on the verge of falling into walk before asking for canter . . . it helped him bend and it made the transition smoother and easier for him (and me). An amazing feeling when we got it.

Does your instructor know what canter aid this particular horse responds to?

Oh, and I can't help you w/ "feeling it" . . . I know when it's wrong but I can't explain what exactly I feel, other than it just feels odd . . . choppy . . . not bumpy (b/c Otis is VERY bumpy anyway), just odd. Sorry that wasn't helpful. Others here have given you good guidance on how to tell by looking at it. It's similar to figuring out diagonals.

Hope that helps.

N